Games play an important role in first grade math, giving students a fun and engaging way to strengthen their number sense and practice math facts in ways that are accessible to all students. At the beginning of the year, gameplay supports students as they review skills learned in Kindergarten, and it continues to be a feature of math class as students move on to counting on strategies, the turnaround rule (commutative property), and solving for missing numbers. As an added benefit, math games are self-differentiating, allowing students with stronger number sense to play faster or with larger numbers. 

This month, as part of their math lessons, first graders have been enjoying games, like Bunny Hop, which help students develop and practice addition strategies in a hands-on way. Students roll a die to “hop” their bunny marker along a number line, moving forward and back, which helps them visualize numbers, recognize the dots on a die without counting, and understand how numbers move along the line. Roll to 100 allows students to practice addition with number lines and number grids as tools. In Monster Squeeze, one player picks a secret number while their partner makes guesses, using “higher” and “lower” clues to gradually “squeeze” the monster markers until they find the correct number. This game gives students hands-on practice with number lines, number comparison, and reasoning skills. In Addition Top It, another favorite game, first graders flip over cards trying to win with the highest sum. The game is flexible and can be played with numbers, ten-frames, number lines, and grids, and gives students practice with comparing numbers. “These kinds of games help students build automaticity with math facts, and they spiral to greater complexity,” says First Grade Teacher Kelly Porter.